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L3 P4 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



0 017 041 569 3 i 



I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. ! 



A M 

v • 

Address 

TO THE 

INHABITANTS 

o ? 

GREAT BRITAIN, 

O N THE 

ABSURDITY AND DANGER 

OF ENCOURAGING 

LAY PREACHERS. 

BY A CLERGYMAN. 



EDINBURGH: 

PRINTED EOR THE AUTHOR, 
BY WILLIAM TURNBULL, ANCHOR CLQS^J & 

1801. 7^ 



( Pricf Eigbtpence*) 



.1.3 



1* 



TO THF< 



)MGHT HONOUR ABLBj 
THE 

i 

| ; O R D DUNS-INN AN, 

ONE OF THE 

SENATORS OF THE COLLEGE Op 
JUSTICE. 

My Loriv 

. Having had the honour of preaching be-^ 
fpre your Lordfhip, and having been fortu*. 
uate enough to obtain your Lordfhip's appro- 
bation, I conceived that I couid not better 
exprefs the high fenfe I entertained or' your 
flattering fuffrage, than by gracing the prefect 
performance with your Lordfhip's name, 
Ycmr predilection for men of letters, and de- 
cided difapprobation of interlopers, quacks, and 

Itinerants, 



C 4 ) 

itinerants, efpeeially. in the interefling depart 
meat of Theology, gave the author of thefe, 
flieets additional- encouragement to dedicate 
them to your Lordlhip. He difdains the ful- 
fome ftile of adulation, convinced that men of 
unexteptionable reputation neither need nor 
defire the affiftance of his pen. They are proof 
againft calumny, and they defpife the attempts 
of a fycophant to eftabjifh their fame. The 
exalted rank your Lordihip fupports in one 
of the mofl interefling and dignified depart- 
ure nis of fpciety, and in a particular manner 
the unfhaken zeal you have ever exhibited for 
the profperity of the church, pointed out youc 
Lordfhip a$ the mofl proper perfon for coun- 
tenancing the prefent undertaking. It is an 
atiempt to expofe theological interlopers, or 
perfons totally unqualified to preach the gof- 
pel. To evince the abfurdity and danger of 
encouraging quacks in divinity, is not always 
fufficient to fecure the approbation of the pub- 
lic, let the arguments made ufe of be ever fa 

concluCye 



5 3 

conclufive and incontrovertible, without th^ 
fan&ion of a name at once dignified and ve~ 
nerable. This the author of the following pa- 
ges has prefumed to afpire after, and to hope 
that your Lordfhip will look upon the prefent 
performance w r ith a propitious eye, will be a, 
fource of unfpeakable fatisfaction to him who 
the honour of fubferibing himfelf 5 

My Lord,. 

Your Lordfhip's moll obedient^ 
And moil humble fervant, 



ADDRESS, Sec: 



IxELIGION is, above all other confiderations, of 
the Iaft importance to the human race. Every thing 
elfe is circumfcribed by the period of our exif* 
tence upon earth, but religion follows a man be- 
yond the manfions of the grave, and proves 
his friend or his enemy as long as God en- 
dures. Of what vaft moment, then, is it to be 
rightly informed as to the requisitions of revealed 
religion, and nicely to difcriminate between real 
converiion and conftitutioaal tendernefs of foul ; — « 
genuine repentance, and pharifaical fufficiency - 
the operations of the fpirit, and the delufions of 
the devil ? Deeply penetrated by thefe confidera* 
fions convinced that it is at once an ad of jut 



e a ) . 

See and philanthropy, to guard mankind agamft 
deception in their moll important concerns ; I have 
formed the refolution of aifdrefiing the inhabitants 
of this highly favoured empire oh a fubjeci of the 
iirfl magnitude. 

It is aftorifhing to confide? the rapid pregrefs of 
quackery in almoft every department of life. Igno- 
rance feems determined to bear away the palni 
from fcience and inveftigation, efpecially in the 
two impo r <"?p* branches: of divinity and mH^ine. 
A fellow who can make a pill of the mofi potent, 
purging ingredients, but who is utterly unacquaintt 
ed with the prognoftics and diagnoftics of almofi: 
every diftemper incident to the human body, has: 
the affurance to obtrude himfelf upon the public a& 
a perfect const oifeur in phylic, and the Legiflature 
allows hini to murder with impilnity. How have 
I been mocked to hear phlebotomy recommended 
in the lad ftage of a confumption, or a patient in a 
flow fever defired to take cold water, while the to* 
talabfence of inflammatory fymptoms, and a pie- 
thoric habit, 'rendered an oppofite treatment abfo- 
lutely neceffary ? By fuch a mode of procedure 
was an aunt of mine fyjlcmatically difpatched. I 
remonftrated againft the treatment me met with, 
but as I did not make phyfic my employment, my 
remarks were difregarded, and the fweet voice of 

Sangrad® 



( 9 ) 



odfigrado overpowered all my complaints. Bleed* 
ing and water for ever ! 

But while I exclaim againft medical quackery, 
which has brought a refpe&able profefilon into un- 
merited contempt, I am no lefs concerned for the 
honour of my own. Quacks in divinity are (till 
more dangerous, if it be admitted that the foul is 
infinitely more valuable than the body. Yet thefe 
are now almoft as numerous as the locufls of E« 
gyp't, fo that more unqualified clergymen might 
be found in the kingdom, than would man a dozeii 
frigates of thirty-fix guns each ! Can any one ima- 
gine, that the increafe of fuch illiterate, blundering 
fools, can add any thing to the fpread of genuine 
Chriftianity, or diminifh the growing numbers of 
infidels and deifis ? Certainly not. While it has 
been faid, and no doubt with propriety, that the 
immoral lives of many profefTmg Chriilians have 
injured the caufe of revealed religion in the world, 
I may confidently affert in my turn, that the gof- 
pel can never be expected to fpread with its pre- 
dicted rapidity, while pedlars, blackfmiths, coblers, 
and chimney-fweepers, are allowed to retail it to 
the public. I, as an individual, may exclaim^ why 
have I fpent fo much time and money in literary 
purfuits, in order to qualify me for a public expo- 
fitor, if I am ever to be outdone by an ignorant 
B Mechanic ? 



( l6 ) 

mechanic ? Shall I have only one to attend me fb$ 
his twenty, and not feel indignant at the ftupidity 
of mankind, or devoutly wifli that the legiflature 
would lay an everlafting embargo on theological 
quackery ? Yes, I repeat it again,~no man mould 
be allowed to preach who is deftitute of a liberal 
education, becaufe men of literature can alone be 
fuppofed capable of being edifying inftruc^ors of 
mankind. The facred Scriptures can be read with 
mod: advantage in their native language, and con- 
fequently every mini ft er mould be a critic in the 
original tongues. They alfo abound with allufions 
to ancient cuftoms, manners, and ufages, unknown 
to the ignorant, and without an acquaintance with 
which the beauty of numberlefs paffages muft be 
totally loft, and their import conrinue ambiguous. 
"What is a difcourfe without argument and cohe- 
rency of parts, but a piece of unmeaning declama- 
tion ? and therefore the convincing preacher muft 
be a logician. 

It is an old thread-bare obfervation of theologi- 
cal quacks, that the fifhermen of Galilee were ex- 
tremely illiterate ; but I deny the fact. No man 
can read the epi files of Fefer and James without 
perceiving a rnoft beautiful chain of reafohing run 
chrough the whole \ and certainly they were greater 
Hnguifts than the world ever beheld. It matters 
not to my prefehf purpofe how they came by LfJ 

fines 



finc.e the fact is undeniable that they did pofTefs it ; 
and therefore, if any pedlar in divinity can exhibit 
a tenth part pf their abilities, I (hall not quarrel 
with him for the want of an univerfity education, 
I do not allude to infpiration, but to fuch of their 
abilities as are within the reach of induftry, all ho' 
in the cafe of the apoflles they were purely fuper- 
natural, being inftantaneoufly conferred. This ex- 
traordinary interference of heaven was absolutely, 
neceffary in the apouolie age, while the endow- 
ments which minifters now find it requifite to ppf- 
fefs are only to be expected from laborious ftudy- 

I cannot tell by what orange fatality it is that 
ignorant uncultivated men take it into their heads 
to preach, for I mould conceive that a man would 
feel the greateft diffidence in (landing up to ad- 
drefs a numerous audience on the important con- 
cerns of eternity, even after he had acquired a 
very competent mare of literary endowments. Yet 
lb it is, that when a moemaker, a weaver, or a tay- 
lor, grows weary of his proper occupation, he a- 
bandons the hammer, the {buttle, or the bodkin, 
and thumps his head againO: a pulpit. He fondly 
hopes to acquire more honour, to beat lefs trouble, 
and reap more advantage, from mangling and aba- 
ting the word of God, than from any manual em- 
ployment whatever. To me this is matter of won.- 



( u ) 



der an4 aftoni foment, for while no individual 
would venture to eonftruct a piece of nice machi- 
nery who had never been previoufly taught, an il- 
literate fool will mount a roftrum to promulgate 
the gofpel without a fmgle blufh, although as un- 
qualified for it as for creating a world*. It would be 
an interesting inquiry to difcover the phyfical cau- 
fes of this interesting phenomenon — why a fenfe 
of (hame, fo inseparable from humanity, when 
men are ignorant of trifles, feems to have no influ- 
ence over them when they attempt things mani- 
feftly beyond their reach ? 

But the advocates for illiterate lay-preachers 
may aft, Does the molt extenfive literature make 
a good man I or does it necefTarily follow, that, 
becaufe a man is a confummate fcholar, therefore 
he is a real chriftian ? I anfwer, by no means, for 
there is no infeparable connexion between piety and 

erudition,, 

* I knew a blackfmith who ufed frequently to 
tell his audience Joy you muft know that he com- 
menced preacher) that God called him to the mi- 

niftry thus : " John -I fay, John, lay down the 

hammer, and take up the Bible " Had he after- 
wards been called to lay down the Bible and take 
up the hammer, I ftrongly fufpecl; he would have 
continued refractory. 



erudition. The one may be enjoyed where taa 
other does not exift. Dr Young, indeed, fays, 

" An undevout aftronomer is mad." 

Yet fuch madmen there have been in the wor!d 9 
and the greateft profligate under the fun may be 
acquainted with the moft intricate minutiae of the 
folar fyftem. The fame thing may be faid of ma- 
ny theologians ; but what a monftrous inference is 
it, that becaufe fome learned clergymen have been 
bad men, therefore all who take upon them tor 
preach the gofpel mould beware of the lead tinc- 
ture of education I Prodigious, what a leap ! As 
well might I fay,-— becaufe fome have been epi« 
cures and bacchanalians, deftroying themfelves by 
the very means which were intended to protract 
their exigence, all men mould be careful, as they 
value the prefervation of life and health, never to 
eat nor drink any more ! Education,, let it be abu~ 
fed in particular inftances as it may, is a fine qua 
non^- an elfential prerequifite of the clerical cha- 
racter, while it no doubt derives its mod amiable 
traits from piety and virtue. A man may be a 
good private Chrillian without learning, but a 
good, inftruclive, and interefting preacher he can 
|iever be. He may indeed make grofsly ignorant 

people 



t H ■> 



j*£ople like hlmfelf turn up the white of their eyes, 
becaufe neither he nor they know what he is fay- 
ing ; but his incoherent rhapfody mud fet the dif- 
cerning few a fmiiing, and confirm the Deift in 
his averfion to Chriftianity. 

But fays one, c I have a huge defire to preach, 
and mayhap, as I takes a delight in it, d'ye fee, I 
may come in time to do monftrous well.' It may 
be fo, friend, but your diction promifes nothing 
fuperexcelient, and I am afraid that yoqr huge de- 
lire wii] never be able to compensate for your hugs 
deficiency. It will be much more eligible, — it 
will bring more credit to yourfelf, and advantage 
to fociety, to continue by your proper employ- 
inent. Ne futor ultra crepidam* 

Intelligent men, from whom better things mighjt 
be expected, frequently encourage lay preachers, 
both by their prefence and pockets ; and when 
their good fenfe cannot vindicate thefpeakers they 
often hear, nor confcienfcioufly defend their fer- 
mons, (pardon the expremon) they generally re- 
ply to a folid objection, True, but fliil Mr 

Such-a-one faid a number of good things ! So will 
a man in bedlam, and yet the very next moment 
the ftraw in his hand fiiall be converted, by the 

magic 



( *5 ) 



Magic power of fancy, into a fceptre to cruln his 
rebellious fubje&s ; and his ideal munificence re- 
lieves the wants of millions whom he never heard 
of! To judge of the merits of a difcourfe, or infer 
that a man is fully qualified to be a minifter of the 
gofpel, from a number of good things , is as ridi- 
culous as to aflert, that, if a fifhwife can make a 
fhift to read Pope's Eflay oh Man, therefore ihe 
could compofe a poem equally excellent ! 

There is a complaint frequently made againft 
rriinifters who are regularly bred to that facred of- 
fice, and authorifed to preach by thofe who are 
fully qualified to judge of their abilities, that vaft 
multitudes of them do not preach the gofpel. Ad- 
mitting this to be a fad for the fake of argument, 
it is no lefs certain that multitudes of them do 
preach it, and that too in its native purity and 
fimplicity, and with fuch a native flow of elo- 
quence as would have done no difcredit to the fa- 
mous Cicero. But the gofpel is a cant phrafe in 
the mouth of every enthuiiaft, which has no pre- 
cife or definite fignification. It means (if any 
thing) the ebullitions of his own diftempered ima- 
gination, foftered by ignorance and the love of An- 
gularity. Afk one highflier in what the gofpei 
confifts ? His ajifvrer is faith, — faith forever, with- 

out 



but the fmalle& reference to the rectitude of his 
moral deportment. Put the fame queftion to ano- 
ther, and lo ! it confifts of certain myflical influ- 
ences of the fpirit ; of particular frames and feel- 
ings, which neither he nor any one elfe can ex- 
plain or comprehend. .Common honefty muft 
therefore acknowlege, that fuch men can give no 
National, confiftent, or fyftematical account of the 
gofpel -how its various parts are beautifully de- 
pendent upon, and connected with each other ; fo 
that when a mountebank preacher brings fuch a 
charge again!! regular clergymen, I truft it will not 
be faid that he is a competent judge. He may be 
tight in particular instances, but the probability is 
that he may alfo be wrong, for the accuracy of his 
judgment is only a lottery* 

c But regular clergymen, as you call them, are 
frequently very negligent and remifs in the dis- 
charge of the duties of their office, and therefore 
we wifls to encourage thofe who are more labori- 
ous and diligent.' To the framers of this objection 
1 would fay, Whether is the negligence you com- 
plain of the caufe or effect of that encouragement 
which you give to preachers who were never in- 
tended for the pulpit ? If it is the caufe, ftill your 
condu£l is repreherifible, fince you go from thofe 

whont 



( i? ) 



tfhorayou charge with deficiencies, and you cleatffr 
to fuch as cannot reafonably be deemed qualified to 
Aipply the defect If learned men may commit 
blunders and miftakes, it is certain that ignorant 
men mxjl do fo. Befides, would it not, think you, 
be a more rational, confident, 3nd Chriftian-like 
deportment, to remind your paftors of their ne- 
glects and deficiencies,— not in a dictatorial man- 
lier, but in the fpirit of humility, pure religion, 
and front a fenfe of inferiority ? Hints tendered 
in fuch a manner as this will never offend thofe 
who have the fpirit of Chrift. But be well affu- 
fed that you have reafori to find fault before you 
do fo, and for this end ftudy to acquire a pretty 
competent knowledge of w r hat the gofpel really is. 
Take it not from this or that fanatic, but from the 
law and from the teftimony. Do not fit as judges 
and critics in the houfe of God, but as people who 
come there to be inftrutted. 1 know no country 
in the univerfe fo faulty in this particular as Scot- 
land, Every paltry, infignificant creature who can 
make a ftiift to read the catechilm, with the af- 
fiftance of fpelling a long word now and then, can 
pretend to fit in judgment on the raoft rational, 
evangelical, and elegant difcourfe, that ever came 
from the pulpit. I grant that every man fhould fo 
far judge for himfelf as not to be impofed upon by 

C egregious 



C I* ) 



egregious erro'r ; but there is a vafl: difference 
between this and taking a fernion to pieces over a 
tankard of ale, without one fingle dehre to receive 
benefit from it. 

But if the negligence of learned mimfters for- 
merly complained of (admitting its exigence) be 
the effeR of your own conduct, — if they grow 
carelefs, only after they fee their churches defer ted 
by one-third, perhaps one-half of their audience, 
in order to run after an upftart cobler or wig ma- 
ker, is it matter of aflonifhment to fee them lofe 
heart ? I befeech you, therefore, to coniider, that 
all the lukewarmnefs and indifference of the clergy 
muff,- upoti this hypothecs, be charged in a great 
meafure to' your account at the divine tribunal, 
Make the cafe your own. If any one of you is a 
perfect mafter of hh bufmefs } what muff be his feel- 
ings to behold a downright ignoramus' running a. 
way with-all his Wonted employment, who is infi- 
nitely his inferior, both in contrivance and execu- 
tion ? This is an everLfang barrier in the way of 
improvement, and under ail thefe difcouraging 
circum fiances it is lefs wonderful to fee him defift 
from all exertion, than to perfevere. His calling 
rs transferred to an ideot, in fo far as refpecls him- 
leif % and he has the mortification to find, that ge- 
nuine 



( *9 ) 



nume merit 5s not the road to applaufe. How ma- 
ny able minifters in the church of Scotland have 
been deferred by -multitudes of their people, as if 
iniecled by the pelHience, merely becaufe they 
could not allow themfelves to utter ideas fo wild, 
fo evtravagantj or fo blafphemous, as a canting 
itinerant ! 

I trufl I am warranted in faying, that multitudes 
of lay preachers, who pretend they have a call 
from God ? were firft induced to attempt fpeaking 
in public from a fpirit of lazinefs, and an averfion, 
to manual labour. Their public exhibitions cod 
them no trouble, for it would be impofTible to ftudy 
them; and it is not half fo wonderful that they 
fliould fpeak long, as that they ever give over 
while their lungs are ab{e to expand, fmce no 
three fentences almpft haye any relation to one and 
the fame fubjecl. Their expatiating fa much on 
their own converfion- — what great things God has 
done for their fouls, is an admirable expedient for 
working on the paffions of the ignorant and credu- 
lous. Gilemation, however, is by no means a 
criterion of genuine goodnefs, and it frequently 
happens that they who have moft to fay about their 
own converfion, are leafl: acquainted with it in re- 
ality. Both before I was a (Indent and fince, I 

havs 



{ 20 ) 



fiave heard the moft pious clergymen for a ferl^s 
of years, who never once mentioned their own 
piety and goodnefs in any of their difcourfes. No ! 
this favoured too much of vanity and felf-conceit 
for their chriftian diffidence and felf-denial. Men 
who are admired by the ignorant multitude for 
this religious cant, endeavour to fweeten its naufe- 
ous tafte by afcribing all the glory to God ; but 
this attempt to make it palatable cannot delude the 
intelligent. If a preacher is really a Chriftian, it 
will readily be difcovered without the affiftance of 
his own tongue ; and if he is not, all that he can 
pohToly affert will never eftablifli it as a fact. Let 
your light fo mine before men that they may fee 
your good works — but not a fyllable about (tun- 
ning their ears with any noify declamation refpec 
ting what you are. 

Paine's writings againft the Bible are an, outrage 
on the common fenfe of all mankind. Who can 
repeat the very words Age of Reajbn without feel- 
ing indignant, as if the whole human race had 
been lunatics or madmen before he made his ap- 
pearance ? Daring impudence indeed, at which e- 
very man, whether Chriftian or Deift, ought to be 
offended, becaufe it is indirectly to fay that an 
hundred pages or upwards, fpun from his prolific 

noddle 3 



tioddle, contain more rationality than mankind c- 
ver heard of before ! But is it not equally an infuk 
offered to fome thoufands of learned, refpec~ta*e 
characters, to talk of a fockty for propagating the 
go/pel at ho7?ie I What, the gofpei at home? 
Strange ! has the gofpei never been propagated ia 
Scotland or England till the clofe of the eighteenth 
century ? O ye (had.es of Bofton, Durham, Wil- 
lifon, Erfkine, Hervey, Sherlock, ancl Tihotfon, 
appear, I befeech you, and vindicate your injured 
reputation. Nay, ye living witneffes for Chrift, 
ye faithful watchmen on lion's tower, who are 
every week employed in proclaiming the giad tid- 
ings of great joy, can you patiently beai: fuch a fly- 
condemnation ? When perfonally injured, it is 
noble to forgive, but to be filent when you hear 
that you never preach the gofpei— that the gofpei 
was not propagated at borne till of late, is to difre- 
gard the honour of Jefus himfelf. There may be, 
and no doubt there are places in the principality 
of Wales, and the Highlands of Scotland, in which 
jt would be an act of mercy and goodnefs to preach 
the gofpei ; but to affert ia a round about manner 
that it is not propagated at home, meaning the 
whole empire, in oppofition to favage places a- 
broad, is a more horrid aecufatioo, than fome are 
filling to perceive/ 

Lay 



( 22 ) 

'Lay preaching is fraught with more ferious con* 
fequences than can be perceived by a (ingle glance. 
We have partly feen already that it is a powerful 
difcouragement to men of folid literature, and mult 
naturally difpofe rhem to grow negligent about 
many branches of heir duty, and nearlv callous to 
the wonted power of emulation. This may, in 
time, effeclually deter a riling generation fjorn 
treading in the once dele&able paths of literature 
and fcience, as they have the lamentable experi- 
ence of their ancetfors to convince them, that no 
honour, emolument, or refpeft are to be looked for 
from the cultivation of the understanding, efpeci- 
ally in the otherwife honourable employment of a 
minifter of the gofpel Suppofe thefe effects alrea- 
dy produced, which are neither whimfical nor im« 
poiiibie, and you mult admit that a powerful bar- 
rier agamft the inroads of ftupidity and ignorance 
is entirely removed. Again, if we allow the force 
of imitation to be as great in this as in other re- 
flects, the fame torpor and inactivity may feize all 
the other departments of life, and gradually con- 
duel us to the verge of barharifm— to the very 
ilate, perhaps, in which the inhabitants of Britain 
were found at its invafion by Julius Caefar ! Thefe 
are not mere (peculations, the gloomy ideas of a 
timid, fuperitkious mind, but what may reafo.v 

ably 



( H ) 

ably be dreaded from fuch a concurrence of cifS 
cumftances, although a fuperficiai obferver cannot 
fee it at firfh 

Lay preachers, and their adherents, by affecting 
to defpife human learning, as they call it, give en- 
couragement to multitudes of ignorant men to e- 
fpoufe their caufe, in the hope that they too, in 
their turn, will likewife be nominated preachers ; 
for the rabies Icqutndi has feisred the whole of 
them from the pulpit to the outer gate— from the 
pried ro the fexton But their avowed contempt 
of literature is pure affectation, becaufe every re- 
gular clergyman, who is weak and inconsiderate e«* 
ziough to give them his countenance and fupporr, 
they deem a valuable acquisition, and fpeak of him 
in terms of the higheft refpect. The great Mr or 
Dr Such-a-one is to preach to-day ! This I have 
Beard repeated with an air of triumph, while by 
their common conduct and expreffioris they de- 
clare, that the mod uncultivated cooler may preach 
the gofpek If we attentively perufe the hiftory of 
the rife and progrefs of religious fectaries, I believe 
it v/ill be found that almofi: nine tenths of their 
founders were men of learning, notwith'ftanding 
their pious poflerity have fet education afide, and 
sow view ft in general as an incumbrance to the 

fublime 



foblime flights of the fpiritual orator. Bet aft 
shining and cant, all ridiculous abftraction from' 
the world, and that unmeaning jargon called a 
light within, are in direct oppofition to the fpirit 
©f the gofpel. Common fenfe rrfay teach any per- 
fon difpofed to think for himfelf, that if man be £ 
yalional creature, no revelation from that God who 
made him rational can ever be calculated to un- 
man him, either by its doctrines or precepts. 
Preachers, therefore, who wifh to convert mankind 
into wild enthufia'fts or mere faith-mongers 5 incul- 
cate & ibmething upon them, which no revelation 
ever did, or ever can contain. What myfticifm 
and jargon have I heard uttered in explaining 
what ftich men were pleafed to Call the gofpel, f© 
that it was phyficaily impoflible to determine, front 
their rhapfodies, what it really is. Now, its pecu- 
liar doctrine is faith in jefus Chri'ft as the ground 
of our acceptance with God, and its moral requi- 
fitions differ in nothing aim oft from what has ever 
been termed morality, but in the motives by which 
the Chriflian is actuated ; — faith and love, acting 
from the poflefiion of fpiritual life, not in order to 
procure it„ 

It is faid that this momentous queftion has of 
late been, agitated ia' the city of Edinburgh by 

refpectabl© 



( U ) 

refpeetable bodies of clergymen, — " whether the 
civil magiftrate ought, or ought not to interpofe 
his authority for the fuppreffion of religious er- 
ror f" To me it feems as obvious as any deduction 
of Euclid, that no power upon earth can perfecute 
me with impunity in the fight of God, mould I 
even worlhip the fun, or rear deities in a garden 
as fait as cucumbers ; becaufe, if ever I am re- 
claimed from fuch an error, I mull: previouily be 
convinced that I am wrong, and this can only be 
effected by arguments drawn from reafon and fcrip- ' 
ture addrehed to my under (landing. The weapons 
of truth mud not be carnal, but mighty through 
God to the .pulling down of ftrong holds. But 
the civil magiftrate may lawfully ftrike at the root 
of error, which I conceive might be fuccefsfully 
done by prohibiting all men from becoming 
preachers of the gofpel who are not properly qua- 
lified for it. The mod ignorant ranter — -the moft 
extravagant enthunaft, if permitted to vend his 
poifon, will never want the countenance of an ig- 
norant multitude. This may be confidered by 
fome as too great a degree of interference on the 
part of the magiftrate, but it anfwers all the pur- 
pofes which the above queftion could poliibly have 
in view, while it pretends not to invade the prero- 
gative of the Almighty, by becoming the umpire 

D of 



C 26- ) 



of conscience. Mankind will not employ a ftupi^ 
mechanic when convinced of his egregious defici- 
ency ; but the ignorant will entruft the moft illi- 
terate quack with the care of their fouls. I flatter 
myfelf that if fuch a meafure was adopted and car- 
ried into effect, every fpecies of danger rm error 
would die of a confumption, and the civil magis- 
trate might rejoice with the minifters of Chrifi 
in beholding the gradual decline of the enemy of 
truth, without any fuch interference upon his part 
as is the undoubted prerogative of the great Eter- 
nal, Check the evil at the fountain-head,, and 
its numerous rivulets difappear. 

But is not this totally incompatible with liberty; 
of conference, the undoubted, the unalienable 
right of the whole human race ? In order to afcer- 
tain the fallacy with which this objection is fraught, 
let it be diftmctly obferved, that the phrafe liberty 
of conjciencc* in which the framers of it feem to 
exult, is fo extremely equivocal, that in the hands 
of an expert fophift it may mean almofl any thing. 
If I mould conceive it my duty to believe that de- 
vils and wicked men will finally be delivered from 
the place of torment, and declare my fentiments 
to the world in the integrity of my heart, whether 
V^ould it be equitable or cruel to punifH me on ac- 
count 



C 27 ) 

CotHit of them ? It would be the height of injuf- 
tice to inflid upon me either incarceration, banim* 
ment, or perfecution of any defcription, however 
contrary my fentiments might be to thofe generally 
received. Religion, let it be as extravagant as it 
will, is a fomething between God and man, not 
between man and man, and confequently no power 
upon earth can be faid to tolerate it with any pro- 
priety, nor can its votaries be puniihed without 
manifefl unjuftice. But let the advocates for any 
fyftem of religious opinions breed commotions in. 
fociety ;— let them affert that no faith is to be kept 
with thofe they call heretics, upon pain of eternal 
damnation, or that abfolute dominion is founded 
in grace, and then tell me if it would not be egre- 
gioufly impolitic in any proteftant government un- 
der heaven to grant them unbounded liberty, or 
unreflrided fway ? Mr Paine has a number of 
ftriking ideas on toleration in his Rights of Man, 
but, like mod of his political arguments, they are 
totally mifapplied. He thinks that toleration itfeif 
Is intolerance, becaufe it implies a power in man 
to permit or prohibit the Almighty from accepting 
the worfhip of his creatures. To a certain extent 
he is unquefiionably right, for when I fpeak of to- 
lerating another, I propofe to confer a privilege 
which I do not pofTefs. But when the religious 

fentiments 



( s8 - ) 



fentiments of a people are fubverfive of fecial or* 
der, and fraught with cruelty and perfecution, go- 
vernment may juftly take away what it cannot o- 
therwife confer, becaufe a leiTer evil mould always 
be facrinced to a greater good. " Saius populi 
fuprema lex." 

Let it &ot be imagined that I mean this reafon- 
ing to extend to lay preachers and their adherents' 
in its utmofl latitude. Far from it. My defign is 
ilmply to prove, that certain regulations in matters 
of religion may be made by any fiate, and that in 
particular circumflances it becomes an imperious 
duty, dicTated by neceffity and felf prefer vat ion. But 
what mifchief is it not in the power of enthufiafm 
and ignorance to effectuate ? Let mifguided zeal 
and fanatical flupidity. have their full fwing, and I 
queftion much if the moil penetrating judgment 
Can. fore fee all the fatal Confequ.ences. It were in 
vain to in (lance the infatuated conduct which once 
difgraced the inhabitants of Cambuflang, for all 
climates and all ages will exhibit the mournful tra- 
ces of zeal and ignorance when combined together. 
Had my lady Buchan been poffe'ffed of folid intel* 
lecl:, (he never would have vended thofe dreadful 
and damnable fentiments which, 1 fear, have trans- 
mitted both herfelf and many others to the regions 

♦ " . of 



{ 29 f 

cf wo. She had knowledge fufficlent to convince 
her that fhe was playing the cheat, but not enough 
to deter her from fuch a blafphemous undertaking. 
There are different degrees of this religious mad- 
nefs, and the nearer any one of them approaches to 
what is fit and proper, it certainly bids faired to de- 
lude with facility. The abfurdity becomes more 
refined, and therefore the obtufe faculties of the 
multitude are not fo eafily hurt by it. They are in 
general extremely ignorant every where, and yet, 
by following uncultivated lay preachers, they hug 
the very men who, infread of procuring their e» 
mancipation, can only rivet their chains. Men of 
this defcription know not the very import of the 
w r oi 'd preachings and can only entertain their gap- 
ing audience with, fulfome details of what wonders 
they have done in the preaching line— what a pro* 
digious number they have converted— huddle < to* 
gether a vaft number of ridiculous anecdotes and 
old wives fables, and employ a diction at once 
wild, ungrammatical, and utterly incompatible with 
the dignified fimplicity of pulpit language. The 
effects they generally produce are, either a difcor* 
dant practice without a genuine theory, and which 
is only remarkable for its eccentricity, or an unin- 
telligible theory, which is feldom if eyer accompa- 
nied with any moral or religious practice, properly 

P 



( 33 ) 



ft* called. In fhort, they carry every thing to esr- 
fremes, for with fuch unqualified declairners, the 
1 e of God is fond partiality and abfolute dotage, 
while his difpleafure is, reprefented as almighty ty- 
ranny. They difgufl difcernment by their accounts 
of the divine clemency, not feldom delivered in ex- 
preffions which are highly indelicate, and their de- 
lineations of the wrath of God are fufficient to ter- 
rify the ignorant out of their fenfes. 

• How eafy a matter would it be to cure this itch 
for abfurdity and extravagance, by putting a flop 
to the wild career of its promoters, and rendering, 
aclaflical, a liberal education, effential to. a public 
fpeaker — an inft.ruct.or of mankind in the things 
pertaining to the kingdom of God. What a world 
of mifchief would this prevent ! What innumerable 
prejudices and mifconceptions would it gradually 
remove ! What heroic exertions would it induce 
regular clergymen to make, and what copious 
ft reams of divine knowlege and important informa- 
tion would it foon diffufe through the earth ! As 
things are at prefent, I dare not entertain fuch 
flattering expectations, for illiterate ranters are ra- 
pidly preponderating, and without fuch an inter- 
ference on the part of the legislature, as is no 
means incon.fiftent with liberty of confeience, (con* 

fining 



( 3> ) 



fining the office of a public fpeaker to men of lite* 
rature as well as piety), I can perceive what the 
fate of real religion will inftantly be : 

66 Per varios cafus per tot difcritnina rerum 5 
" Tendimus in Latium."— 

This grand defideratum might be acquired witli 
lefs trouble, aud it would produce lefs grumbling, 
in a fhort time at leaft, than an attempt to fix the 
maximum or minimum of the price of grain. It 
would only difoblige a few lazy, ignorant indivi- 
duals, who will neither dig nor beg, but the com- 
munity at large would foon come to fee the pro- 
priety of the meafure, and frankly confefs that they 
had been miferably deluded. 

Perhaps fome advocate for the oppofite fide may 
rife up and fay ; If you allude to the itinerants who 
lately made their appearance in Scotland, let me 
afk you, what fupereminent qualifications did the 
eftablifhed clergy polfefs before that period ? 
What zeal did they difcover for the glory of God, or 
the falvation of men, and what remarkable effects 
accompanied their labours ? Let me aft, in my 
turn ; What period of the church will you fix upon 

which the clergy did not meet with fimilar op. 

pofitioa 



v 

I 



( 3* I 



pofitioa to damp their exertions, and in which the 
c r eduhty and attachment of the multitude to en- 
thufiafm and extravagance were not equally con- 
fpicuous ? Concefcend on this, and I will allow that 
you give a keen edge to your objection ; but if this 
is not in your power, (and certain I am it is not), 
it mud fail pointlefs to the ground, 

I have pointed out an eafy, fafe, and efficacious 
irethod of deftroying an evil of the firft magnitude, 
and if it is not adopted by thofe who have the 
power of doing fo, I cannot help it ; but I can f till 
confole myfeif with the untainted rectitude of ttm 
$efign which produced the prefent Effay*. 



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